Lost Legacy
by pjfan01
Summary: A sequel to PJ and the Spear of Power, in an AU where PJ has become more powerful than all of the Olympians, a new camper, Jim, arrives at camp with no clue about his parents, breaking the treaty PJ forced the Olympians to sign about claiming their children. Jim's mysterious past grows deeper as the Olympians are once again thrown into war with Typhon, and only Jim can save them.
1. Prologue

Greetings all!

For those of you who don't know, this story is a sequel to Percy Jackson and the Spear of Power. Whether you're a fan of that or not (most people probably won't be), Lost Legacy is possible to pick up without a knowledge of the prequel, although it would greatly help if you read it. It would explain a lot. Whatever you decide, I had previously been hesitant to release anything that wasn't finished, but I feel relatively confident that I can finish Lost Legacy within a year of the release of the first chapter. I've been writing it for almost two years ago, and though I've started this draft fresh, I have a general picture of how I want the story to go. I may release a third story to finish the series as a trilogy, but I don't want to make any promises I don't plan on fulfilling, so I'll only commit to finishing this. Additionally, it would be awesome if you all could review- I got very little response following The Spear of Power, but criticism would really help if you're up to it. Finally, I'd like to note that of course I don't own Rick Riordan's characters, and that I've added some of my own as well and changed the personalities of characters a fair amount. Again, the first story would greatly help you understand, but if you don't want to read it you should be able to jump into this. I hope you enjoy the story as much as I enjoyed imagining and writing it.

Prologue

"This has gone too far, young man."

Her voice shook him to the core, and he felt an uncontrollable rage towards her like he had never felt before. It hadn't been his fault, anyways. He couldn't explain why his magic had come back, only that it had, and it was clear to him it was here to stay. Whether or not she would ever understand that, he didn't know, but for the first time in 2 years, he was tempted to lash out at his mentor.

But he didn't. Whatever 6 years of struggle had taught him, patience and temper control had certainly been among them. He'd been backstabbed and betrayed, yes, but he had also pacified one of the most powerful organizations in the entire universe, no small feat. He turned towards the door promptly, and he let himself out. Running through the busy streets of the floating city, he dove off the side of the clouds, turning to see her running after him with blond hair streaming. He had surely pissed her off, but something told him not to worry. He had done his best. He had tried to last 5 years without his magic. But it just wasn't going to happen.

Amidst the onlookers of central park, he landed with a force so intense it shook the ground. That day left New York with an earthquake measuring 2 on the Richter scale. As he walked away from the crowd of dazed onlookers, he snapped his fingers and their memories were wiped of that moment. He jumped in the air and appeared in a location familiar to him.

The waterfall. It had been here, while he laughed and danced with his camp friends, that he had escaped from it all. Here, where he had come to get away from his worries of Luke and Kronos, of Typhon and Athena. Here when he got in a spat with his girlfriend. Here when he felt the utter embarrassment of his actions following Beckondorf's assumed death. Here he had let it all melt away, amidst the element of his father. Here, he was safe.

As the water filled the air with calming background noise, he began to meditate upon his life, and wish that his powers would become under control. As he did so, he found himself slowly lulled to sleep by the sound of water bouncing off the rocks.

When he came back, she didn't even scold him. She couldn't. Looking upon him, she knew right away. She was looking no longer at the young boy she had trained. This was the man who would bear Eros and begin the world anew.


	2. The Eye

Chapter 1

The Eye

Total disgust. That was his initial reaction upon flipping the page. As Jim's light blue eyes scanned the text, he could think of nothing more embarrassing than the picture presented in front of him. A woman and her secret lover caught in a net, tangled as the woman's true husband showed the spectacle to the rest of his family.

Hephaestus. He let the name slip out of his mouth in some kind of mixture of shock and sorrow. Oh, of course they weren't real, but he couldn't help but feel bad for the cripple. He sighed, closing the 2nd tome he had begun reading. It was rare he didn't finish a book, and he intended to read the rest of this one, but definitely not tonight.

"How are you faring, Jim?" asked Father Bartleby.

"Oh, well, thank you," said Jim. "I was just putting aside a copy about the Greek Myths. The actions of the gods in those days greatly concern me. I much prefer our own God, Father."

"I can understand that," chuckled the man. "Although you might find the Greek myths entertaining if only you open your mind a little bit, Jim. They outline human flaw, which is important to understand. The gods of the ancient Greeks did good and bad things, just like real people."

"I see," said Jim. "I'd like to keep out of the world of real people then."

Father Bartleby chuckled. "Or you could seek to change it, Jim. Who knows, maybe one day you will be a priest, too, and carry God's message around the world."

"Maybe," agreed Jim, nodding. "Good night, Father."

"Good night, Jim," said Bartleby. He left as Jim flipped the switch next to his bed, emptying the light from the room.

On nights like these, when the rain was falling, Jim liked to open the windows and listen to the soft pitter-patter of the droplets as they came down upon the ground. Something about water made him feel pleasantly at home. He often joked that he had need of no home, for wherever the coast lay, it would rock him to sleep like a mother. A mother he never had, of course. His father, too, was missing, and he had replaced this man in his mind with the endless stars. The sky was his father, the ocean his mother.

He frowned. That didn't sound very religious of him. He then remembered that he had forgotten to say his prayers, and promptly began to pray in the darkness. He almost didn't hear the sound of something stooping on the windowsill next to him. Almost.

He turned, abruptly halting the prayer. A giant eye looked back at him, a set of arms and legs connected to it. It seemed to stare into the soul of Jim, like some demon from the fiery pits of Hell.

"I am from the blackest of pits, yes," said the creature in his mind, and Jim screamed as the hands of the creature slithered forwards at high speeds, grabbing him tightly. He grasped a small knife- the only thing he ever had from his mother- and sliced at the creature's arm. It screamed in pain, jumping back in surprise at the power of the boy. The eye looked on in surprise.

"You know," it said in his mind.  
"I have no idea what's going on," swore Jim. "I promise. Just… leave me alone!"

"You know!" It roared in his mind. It leapt into the room, grabbing at him with the one remaining arm. Jim climbed out the window, batting away the hand as he went. The eye climbed after him, but it sauntered back in pain as a fist flew into it.

"That's one messed up monster, kid," said the boy behind him. "We'd best not fight it for much longer. Come on, let's get you out of here."

"Wait!" shouted Jim. Who're you?"

"Not a giant eye that wants to eat you," said the boy. "And honestly, I'd think that's what counts in this situation."

Jim nodded and followed the boy through a narrow alleyway, racing away from the vicious arms of the eye. The boy kept batting at it until the arm couldn't find it's way anymore, and they were safe. The boy ducked down, gasping for breath.

"Real close one, huh?" he said between gasps. "Pardon the rude intrusion. The name is Alex Chase. Erm, Junior, that is. I'm 15 years old."

Jim nodded. "Jim. 13, nearing 14."

"Pleasure to meet you, Jim," said Alex, smiling like some kind of maniac. "Come on, my car's around the corner."

"Aren't you too young to drive?" asked Jim.

"Look, when you fight giant animated eyes, doing illegal things is the least of your worries," said Alex.

They hurried behind the nearby buildings, and Alex pushed the button on a key to a shiny red Ferrari. He opened the door for Jim, and got into the driver's side, smiling as he cranked up the radio. He revved the engine and drove with one hand, withdrawing chips from a nearby bag. "Barbecue. The chip flavor of champions. Want some?"

"I'll pass, thanks," said Jim. "So, what was that about?"

"Eh, who knows," said Alex. "Monsters pop up all the time. He was probably just hungry."

"And who are you to fight those monsters?" asked Jim.

"I'm a demigod," said Alex.

"What does that mean?" asked Jim worriedly.

"Right, sorry," said Alex. "Well, do you know the old Greek gods?"

"I was just reading about them," said Jim. "I know a fair amount."

"Well, they're real," said Alex. "And one of them got it on with a normal human, and had me. Actually, my father was a demigod, so I'm not really a demigod, per se. I'm 75% godly material."

"Right," said Jim. "You're kidding, right?"

"And the giant eye was just a party trick I do to abduct little kids," said Alex matter-of-factly. "No, man, I'm 110% serious. My mother? Artemis."

"Isn't she the virgin goddess?" asked Jim.

"A lot changes in 5000 years," said Alex. "But, uh, yeah, she's the virgin goddess during the winter. It's hard to explain."

"So, are you her only son?" asked Jim.

"I actually have a sister," said Alex. "She's 20 or so… but most gods don't restrict themselves to just one husband. My mother and grandmother are both exceptions to the rule, but most of the gods fool around a lot. I guess being that old makes you kind of-

"Right, I get it," said Jim, coughing. "So, Mr. the Greek gods are real, where are we going?"

"A special camp where giant eyes won't eat you," explained Alex. "It's for kids like us-

"Like us?" asked Jim. "Look, you may be Artemis' son, but I'm a Christian. I'm not any Greek god or goddesses' son."

"You're an orphan, right?" asked Alex.

"Yeah."

"Then you're probably a demigod if you were attacked by that monster and could see it," said Alex.

"Problem: two of my parents are dead, so if I had two godly parents, wouldn't that make me a god?"

"Yes," said Alex, "but it's not unheard of for demigods to lose their human parent. Granted, it's a lot less frequent than it used to be, but it's still possible."

"And what if I don't want to go to this camp?"

"You like the eye better?"

Jim sighed. "Fine. I'll take a look at it."

"That's the spirit!" said Alex, laughing as he ate a handful of chips.

"Look, that eye thing really shook me up," said Jim. "I should get some sleep."

"It doesn't surprise me," said Alex. "That's the worst monster attack I've seen in years. They've become really subdued since the Teens. Rest your head a little. We'll be at camp by the time you wake up."

Jim nodded, slowly fading to the sounds of the engine.

Jim woke to a sword at his throat.

"Easy, easy!" shouted Alex. "Look, I forgot to mention he was with me, okay?"

A person with hundreds of eyes all around his body looked down at him, removing the sword from his neck. He nodded to Jim, almost as if he were trying to apologize. Jim got up from the car, looking around at the camp.

He had to admit, Alex looked pretty correct at the moment. He could see a centaur standing right beside Alex, and if that wasn't Greek myth, well, he didn't know what was. The centaur approached him.

"You must be a bit shaken to be taken from a monastery to our camp," said the centaur. "Also, seeing me should be a surprise. Though Argus here was not informed, I've heard that Alex has informed you only briefly of the existence of the Greek gods, and that you've been very… hesitant. I assure you, it's normal, and I think after spending a little time here you'll adjust to the change."

"Nothing is more convincing than what's right in front of me," said Jim, yawning. "When he was saying stuff in the car, the eye was scary, but I didn't believe him. A centaur, though… that's pretty convincing, though I hate to admit it."

"Well, my name is Chiron," said the centaur. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Jim. Soon enough, your godly parent should claim you. To be honest, I'm a bit surprised- you seem a little too old to be claimed. Your parent should have claimed you long ago, after having brought you here. 14 is the cut-off age. I'm not sure what it means, but…

"I couldn't care less, to be honest," said Jim. "I hope its Hephaestus. Or maybe Athena."

"Well, first off, let me ask you a bit about yourself," said Chiron. "Do you ever experience dyslexia?"

"No."

"ADHD?"

"Nope."

"Well, that's strange," said Chiron. "Good, but strange. Usually demigods have all of these symptoms…

"Well, maybe I'm not a demigod," said Jim.

"I doubt it," said Chiron. "You were attacked like a demigod, and your parents are dead like a demigod. Even if you aren't, I think you'll find yourself much safer here. You'd best get used to it, Jim."

Jim nodded. "Sorry if I'm being difficult, but this is not easy thing to just accept."

"I understand that," said Chiron. "Why don't you allow Alex to show you around for a bit? You might find something you like about this place."

"Sounds fun," said Jim. "Alex, lead the way."

Much as he hated to admit that the Greek gods could be real, he found himself bonding with Alex despite his anger. Alex could talk like no other boy on Earth, and he had one very interesting life.

Jim looked up at a large golden statue in front of him. It looked like the Colossus of Rhodes, but the man seemed to be different, and he was holding a giant spear in his right hand.

"Who's that?" asked Jim.

"Ah, him," said Alex. "Yeah, he's pretty important, but, uh… I forgot."

"He's the only one with a golden statue and you forgot his name?" asked Jim.

"Look, I'm busy!" said Alex defensively. "Besides, he's been gone from Olympus for years now, and he took my aunt with him. Along with her cat."

"The cat?" asked Jim.

"Whiskers was the fucking coolest!" said Alex defensively. "My dad said he was one of the best cats he ever had. And his sister just goes and takes him! Dad always had such good stories about Whiskers… oh yeah, he was the best."

"You're mad because of a cat?" asked Jim.

"F off," said Alex. "He was the coolest… anyways, it looks like Mr. D has come to meet us. Be on your best behavior, and he might shut up quickly."

A large man wearing leopard skin pants and a Hawaiian shirt approached them, scrutinizing them both with his purple eyes. He grunted. "I was woken by the news that we have a new camper. Yay."

"Pleasure to meet you, sir," said Jim. "The name is Jim."

"My name is Dionysus," said Mr. D. "I am the god of wine."

"And… you run this camp?"

"Finally!" said Mr. D. "Someone who agrees with me! Damn Zeus and his fake paternal attitude! Erm, anyways, as you can probably tell, I hate this job. Just stay out of my way, and we'll get along famously."

"It sounds like a great plan to me," said Jim.

Mr. D smiled. "Glad we have an agreement. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood."

When Mr. D had walked away, Jim turned to Alex. "Are all of the gods like that?"

"No," said Alex. "Though they all have their quirks."

"If you had to say, who do you think my parent would be?" asked Jim.

Alex studied him intently. "Hard to say, really. I'm sure you'll be claimed soon, anyways."

Jim nodded, but he was trying to hide the fact the he really didn't believe he'd be claimed at all. He belonged to no one, save the ocean, the stars, and his own God whom he had prayed to for years. And he liked it that way.


	3. The Garden

Chapter 2

The Garden

"So, I've got a slew of people to introduce you to," said Alex as they walked towards the volleyball net, "and the first one is over there."

Alex's finger was pointing to a gangly kid with jet-black hair and pale skins. He wore jeans and his camp T-shirt, and he seemed immersed in a book.

"Is that Freud?" asked Jim, sitting down next to the boy.

He looked up. His face seemed sad, but he gave a slight smile to Jim. "Yes, it is. Have you read it?"

"I'm sure he has, Edward," said Alex, patting the kid on the back. "This here is Jim, and he seems like a well-read kid. I thought you two might get along quite well, and it seems like I was right. Then again, I always am. Must be that Athena blood in me."

Edward smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Jim. I can see you've met Alex."

"The loudmouth?" asked Jim. "Yeah. He's told me his whole life story in a matter of hours."

"He is a bit of a talker," muttered Edward. "But I like him despite it. You can call me Ed, Jim. I'd love to talk to you about some of the stuff you've read."

"Cool," said Jim. "So, who's your god, or whatever?"

"Eh, we can talk about that later, Jim," said Alex. "Maybe we should meet some other kids."

Ed frowned, but nodded to Alex. Alex gave him an apologetic look, steering Jim away from him.

"What was that for?" asked Jim.

"He's one of the only kids to have not been claimed, and he really hates it," said Alex. "Unlike you, who see A-Okay."

"I guess it's gotta suck, huh?"

"Yeah," said Alex. "I feel bad for the guy. He loves reading, so you'll be a welcome friend to him. We hang out a fair amount, but he's lacking an… intellectual friend, if you prefer to be called such."

"Studying for years at a monastery has made me as much," said Jim. "I know how to have fun other ways, though."

"And all the better," said Alex.

"What's going on?" asked Ed, coming between them.

"Eh?" asked Alex. "You wanted to tag along?"

"Might as well," muttered Ed.

"Sounds cool with me," said Alex. "Let's go visit… ah… Marissa! You like that, Ed?"

"Sure," said Ed.

"The silent treatment, ay?" asked Alex. "That's okay."

They walked over to a girl of about 17. She stood dutifully over her plants, holding a watering can tightly like some kind of shepherd. When she looked up, her ruby red eyes met Jim's and unnerved him, but her smile seemed genuine. He smiled back awkwardly.

"Hey Ed, Alex," said Marissa. "Who's this newbie with you?"

"My name's Jim," said Jim, offering her his hand.

She spit into her hand, grasping his and shaking firmly. "The name's Marissa Di Angelo. 2nd gen Demeter and Hades… not that you know what that means."

"She means to say that her parents were both demigods," explained Alex, "and that one of them had Hades as a parent and the other had Demeter. She technically doesn't have a direct god as a parent, but since her parents were both 50%, that averages out to her being 50%. Thus, she's a demigod still. And she had her godly grandparents, of course."

"Yep," she said. "Care for a carrot?"

"I'll pass, thanks," said Jim. "So, Alex, you're not technically a demigod… how does the system work anyways? I mean, it's all a little bit confusing…

"Anybody with less than 100% godly blood and more than 1% is considered a demigod," he explained. "They are all welcome here. The difference in blood makes no real difference, but some campers look down upon those with lower blood… a form of discrimination, I suppose you could call it. And… ah, look at the time. Listen, Jim, I've got to run. You want to hang with these two for a bit?"

"Why?" asked Marissa. "You got a date?"

"Hilarious," said Alex, winking as he walked away. "See y'all soon!"

"That kid," muttered Marissa. "So, Ed… you look a little down. What's up?"

"I think I… said something," said Jim.

"Oh, you must've asked about his parents, and then Alex dragged you away, huh?" she asked. "Yeah, Alex has the emotional IQ of this carrot here. He doesn't really worry much about that stuff. Ed's fine. Aren't ya?"

"I've gone 4 years without knowing," said Ed. "It's not great, but… I get over it quickly."

"I see," said Jim. "Hey, can I water a bit?"

"You can plant this turnip here," said Marissa, shoving a white vegetable into his hands. "You, too, Ed. They say gardening helps to relax you."

Together, the three of them began to dig into the soil. Jim felt the earth on his hands, and he could understand Marissa's claim: he did feel more relaxed. Perhaps it was the fact that for every inch of soil he dug through, he forgot about another Greek god whom he would have to deal with. He wondered if maybe this would be what the rest of his life was like: toiling away at the ground so that he could escape reality.

"You know," said Marissa, digging steadily, "Alex and I, and many others came here already knowing who our parents were. Since peace came to the camp, a lot of the campers stopped dying, and started settling down in Olympus once the restrictions were opened up. It's been different for you and Ed, though. They say the Olympians have gotten better, but they're really just a bunch of oversized children sometimes. Trust me, I love my grandparents with all my heart, but if I had to hear about every time Hades was screwing around behind the back of my aunt, well…

"Your aunt is your grandmother too?" asked Jim.

"Heh," laughed Marissa. "Try not to think about it too much. Genes are kind of confusing in Olympus, so we don't worry much about it anyways."

Jim groaned, putting the turnip into the ground. Marissa nodded in approval. "Now, I hate to be like Alex… really hate it, actually… but I do have to head out as well. You can stay by the garden if you like, or…

"I'll find my way," said Jim. Marissa smiled, saluting him as she ran off to who knows where.

Ed and Jim sat together for a while, not really saying anything. Then, Ed spoke.

"When I first came here," began Ed, "I used to have these nightmares. This woman was locked away in a cage, screaming at me to come save her. I always thought she looked like my mother, but much more powerful. I was afraid of her, though. She kept wailing and screaming, but there was no way I could save her. Heck, I wondered why she was asking me- she looked like she could beat me up pretty easily."

"After about a year, the dreams stopped coming like that, but I can still here her wails. I remember on the last night when she came to me, she said something I'll never forget: 'I love you, no matter who your parents are.' I still wonder to this day what it means."

Jim remained silent. He wasn't sure if he wanted to hear more, but at the same time he was deeply fascinated.

"When you go to sleep," continued Ed, "you'll have your own dreams, I'm sure. That's why I'm telling you this. It took me a long time to understand that demigod dreams are different than normal dreams. More… real. Your parents might be in one of those dreams, Jim. I never found my father, but I found a second mother. Or so I think anyways."

"Right," said Jim. He didn't know what to say. "Thanks, I guess. I don't really understand now, but…

"You will," said Ed, finishing his sentence. "Tonight. I know it. Just don't worry."

"Where am I sleeping?" asked Jim.

"You'll be in the Hermes cabin," said Ed. "With me and some others. I can show you around it if you like."

"I'll meet you there later, I guess," said Jim. "If you can't make it, don't sweat it."

"If I'm not there, look for Sheldon," said Ed. "He's cabin head. He'll be happy to show you around."

Jim nodded, thanking Ed for his advice. As he got up and walked towards the vast blue expanse in front of him, he looked back from the sea for one second at Ed. The boy had fallen asleep in record time. Jim supposed he was like all the other teenagers, and he turned back, headed towards the sandy white shores of the beach.


	4. Walls of Sand

Chapter 3

Walls of Sand

The moment that Jim's feet made contact with the hot sand, he felt at home. The blue ocean lay before him, sparkling in all it's glory, and so he ran towards it like a child runs towards their father. As he was about to reach it, he felt his foot contact with human skin, and he fell face first into the ground.

"Ouch!"

Picking himself up, he turned to face a beautiful young girl. Her blue eyes and blond hair seemed out of place with her dark skin, and yet oddly beautiful. Jim straightened. She was very beautiful, upon closer determination.

"Sorry about that," said Jim. "Did I… hurt you badly?"

"You would've hurt me badly," she said, "but I can take a kick or two thanks to my training. I've never seen you around."

"Sorry," apologized Jim again, "my name's Jim. I got here early this morning. I'm new."

"Huh," she said. "Well, I'm Charlotte. And seriously, you ought to look where you're going."  
"It's just been so long since I've seen the ocean," laughed Jim. "I… get really excited when I'm near it."

"Oh?" asked Charlotte. "Well that's… interesting. Have you been claimed yet?"

"No," said Jim. "Personally I don't mind. What about you?"

"I'm part cripple and part supermodel," said Charlotte. "AKA my father was Hephaestus' child and my mother Aphrodite's."

"I always liked Hephaestus," said Jim. "Not Aphrodite very much."

Charlotte laughed. "Yeah, me neither. And, my mother and my grandmother have a bit of an… interesting relationship, if I do say so myself. I'm just glad I have two gods to go to, and that I have a choice. Some kids get stuck with one lousy god and have to deal with it."

"That sounds pretty bad," said Jim. "I'd rather just be unclaimed forever."

"But what if you were claimed by Hephaestus?" asked Charlotte.

"I'd much rather chose my parent than have my parent claim me," said Jim. "And, I think after 13 years alone, I should have the right to do that."

"Well, Hermes is always there for you if you want," said Charlotte, "but that cabin's kind of… crowded? And you might get your stuff stolen too. Oh, Sheldon will protect you for a few nights, but after awhile you become fair game." Charlotte formed a small mound in the sand, and began to add to it. "Care to join me?"

"Sure!" said Jim. "I usually just run into the water and stay there the whole time, but building a sand castle sounds fun."

The two worked for a long time, Charlotte dropping pearls of wisdom about the camp as they went along. Jim learned that she was about 15 years old.

"So you know Alex, then," he said.

"Well, we know everyone here, regardless of age," said Charlotte. "To be honest, you seem a lot older than Alex… in some ways, anyways. But yes, I know him. Tell him I said hi. He's a… very interesting character, if I do say so myself."

"I had to spend a few hours in his car," said Jim.

"Ugh, don't even get me started on the Ferrari," said Charlotte. "I was there with him when he got it. We were out hunting for some stupid weapon Sheldon lost in Virginia, and this monster was after us, so he hopped into a car at the dealer and just drove away. How he got past the security, I don't know, but I think it had to do with a few bombs he rigged. I swear to Zeus, judging by his demeanor, he paid that monster to chase us there so he could steal that thing."

"That sounds like him," said Jim. "He's always been here?"

"Since his parents left him here at five," said Charlotte. "His father visits about once a month, and his mother does that during the spring and summer, though she's gone throughout the fall and winter. And what about you, huh?"

"I lived in a monastery in New York," said Jim.

"A monastery?" asked Charlotte. "What about your parents?"

"They're both… gone, I think."

"I see," said Charlotte. She got up and stepped back. "Well, dang. You're pretty good at building things too. Might be my uncle!"

Jim laughed. "Yeah, maybe."

Charlotte smiled. "Come on, there's someone I think you'd best meet. Follow me to the forest."

"Alex mentioned that place. He said not to get too close."

"Yeah, because you're unarmed," said Charlotte. "It's stocked with monsters, but they're only semi-dangerous. I can handle them."

"Semi-dangerous?"

Charlotte smiled mischievously. "I told you, I can handle them. Follow me!"

Jim followed her, regretting this turn of events. He would've rather been by the shore, or in it for that matter. But though Alex had warned him, they ran into no monsters on their two-minute walk.

"Alright, keep your voice low," said Charlotte. She approached the middle of the clearing, and bellowed so loudly that Jim had to cover his ears. "Tempus, fuge!"

"That's Latin, isn't it?" asked Jim.

Charlotte smiled. "Yeah. I think it's ironic. You'll see why in a second."

Suddenly, a tall man with glasses appeared in the clearing, almost as if he had emerged from the wind. He smiled at Charlotte. "How are you, grandniece?"

"Fine, thank you," she said, hugging him.

"And who's the young one?" asked the man.

"This is a new camper I met, Jim," explained Charlotte. "He tripped over me, but he helped me make a sand castle to make up for it."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Jim," said the man, shaking his hand, "even if you did trip over my grandniece. My name is Kronos."

"Oh," said Jim. "Um… aren't you the guy who… you know…

"Ate his children?" asked Kronos. "Ancient history! I've been accepted by the Olympians for about thirty years now, Jim. I owe it all to Percy Jackson."

"Who's that?" asked Jim.

"Alex didn't tell you about him?" asked Charlotte.

"No," said Jim.

"He's the guy with the golden statue," said Charlotte.

"Oh, yeah, him," said Jim. "No, he forgot his name. He was really pissed about losing his father's cat, though. I think his name was Whiskers or something?"

"Oh, Alex," sighed Charlotte. "Well, anyways, Kronos is my granduncle. He watched over my mother when my grandmother was away romancing with every man on earth and while my grandfather was working in his chocolate factory."

"Mr. Beauregard and I were great friends," said Kronos, "and when I found out his little one was a demigod, I was ecstatic, but worried. I taught her all kinds of different sports, fighting styles, board games, you name it."

"My mother was the weirdest Aphrodite camper the cabin ever had!" declared Charlotte proudly. "She wasn't a weak dunce, which is what made her weird, and I'm proud of it!"

"I can see that," said Jim. "Are all the other Aphrodite campers-

"Obsessed with fashion and nothing else? Yes," responded Charlotte. "That's why I chose to live in Hephaestus cabin. Now, there are one or two cool ones, but they don't hang in their cabin very much. They sleep at my place sometimes. Some of the gods care about their cabin, but Hephaestus is pretty cool."

"That's cool," said Jim. "Do you have any children, Kronos?"

Kronos nodded no. "I have lived with one mortal woman in the past few years, but we didn't have any kids."

"Weren't you married to a woman named Rhea?" asked Jim.

Kronos frowned. "Rhea has… been gone for a long time. Ever since we were first banished to Tartarus, I haven't seen her since. It's hard for a god to move on when they've been married so long, even if they do play around like the Olympians tend to do, but I had to, or spend the rest of my life alone. After all, there were three thousand years in between when I escaped and when Percy Jackson brought me to Olympus."

"Even so, the Olympians haven't pardoned your wife?" asked Jim.

"Oh, they've pardoned her," said Kronos sadly. "They just haven't kept track of her. Tartarus is a messed up place, Jim. It's so vast, you could barely find your way around it. It took me two thousand years to just escape it, and I'm powerful. The gods would never even think to regulate or guard that place. Heck, Hades wouldn't even let them near it until thirty years ago. Olympus has come a long way, Jim, but their mistakes in the past still go unanswered. I let them slide, because I doubt the Olympians could find my Rhea. But I question just how much the Olympians haven't fixed."

"We shouldn't dwell too much on this," said Charlotte. "It's… Jim's first day, and I don't think scaring him off with old stories is going to help him get comfortable."

Jim thought that was a little rude to Kronos, but the big guy only nodded. "It's not really his first day, anymore," he said, pointing to the stars. "Artemis is out earlier and earlier… you'd best find the Hermes cabin, Jim. A pleasure meeting you."

Kronos disappeared quickly, leaving just Charlotte and Jim in the empty clearing. She looked at him and nodded, and quietly the two of them trundled through the woods.

When they had emerged, they bumped into a familiar face.

"Ah, hey," said Alex. He looked flustered. "What're… uh… you two doing out so late? I've been looking all over for you, Jim!"  
"We were doing some private stuff in the woods," said Charlotte. "It's personal."

Alex looked like he was going to puke, but then Charlotte started cracking up. "Oh, relax, you idiot! This kid tripped over me on the beach and we made sand castles together, okay? We went into the woods to see Kronos."

"Oh," said Alex, blushing. "Right. Hilarious."

"You should've seen the look on your face," said Charlotte, smiling mischievously. Jim backed away a little, allowing them their own personal discussion space. He had a feeling he didn't want to get mixed up in the middle of this. "Um… I'm going to go find Sheldon… or whatever. Y'all…. have fun."

Before either of them could say anything, Jim had reached the top of the hill. He thanked God (or the gods, he wasn't really sure which at this point) for his athletic abilities. He could just make out Alex say in a whiny voice, "Look, you scared him away!"

Jim approached the Hermes cabin. It wasn't hard to spot, since it was the one where a ton of kids were hanging out. As Alex would late explain to him, though the gods had to claim the kid by the age of 14, many preferred to wait until 12, so the Hermes cabin was twice the size it had been, and consisted of two portions: a cabin, and a daycare center.

Even without Alex's commentary, Jim started to get that feeling when a tall blond boy waved at him with a baby in the other arm and two children tugging at his feet. He assumed this was Sheldon.

"Jim," said Jim, offering his hand.

The boy shook it, and confirmed his identity. "You… uh… got any bags?"

"Nah," said Jim. "I was in a rush."

"Rare situation, yours," said Sheldon. "Look, I've watched 50 kids stumble in here over the course of my leadership, and only one other didn't have a suitcase. His mom brought one the next day."

"So, you're the patriarch, I guess?" asked Jim.

"Yeah," said Sheldon. "I grab some rations from the camp store and protect your stuff for a night or two. But after that, well… I think you can see I've got my hands- Hey! Watch it, ya little scamp!"

A young child with jet-black hair tugged at his shorts, and Sheldon tussled his hair, playfully pushing him away. "Little bugger. Sorry about that. As you can see, my hands are pretty much tied. Figuratively right now, but when they play prison break, they'll literally tie me up."

"Right," said Jim. "Sounds like fun. But really, you don't need to watch my stuff. I'm sure everyone here is perfectly-

"Oh, they're perfectly nice," said Sheldon. "But if you were a kleptomaniac in Greece? You da- excuse me, darn well better pray to Hermes."

"I see," said Jim, sighing. "Alright, I'll graciously accept your protection, then."

"Ah, don't worry," said Sheldon. "Everything will be just fine!"

As Jim checked his pockets, finding that his only money, a 10 dollar bill was missing, and as he found it in the hand of the so-called 'little bugger', Jim wasn't sure everything would be just fine.


	5. The Campfire

Chapter 4

The Campfire

At first, Jim thought it was a monster. Or, more specifically, a Greek god.

He dreamt that Zeus was blowing up his ear with that great lightning bolt, sending tremors through the rest of his body. Of course, it occurred to Jim that maybe he should have been dying, and that was when he found the real cause of trouble.

"Jimmy, Jimmy!" shouted the kid with black hair. "Get up, Uncle Jimmy!"

"Uncle?" asked Jim. Then he straightened. "Ah, yes, I call uncle! Please stop pulling my ear!"

The child looked at him as if he were the most sorry creature on Earth, and Jim thought for a second that the child would finally stop. He watched the boy sadly waltz past him, and then the boy turned around and started to tug at his other ear."

"Get up, Uncle Jimmy!" said the boy again, pulling harder this time. Jim squirmed in place, praying this torture would end. "Uncle Jimmy, get up!"

A pair of life-saving hands picked up the small child: the familiar look of Sheldon's face flooded Jim with relief. He had been saved.

"Why don't you get ready for the morning?" asked Sheldon. "It's always good to be on high alert in my cabin."

Jim nodded, thinking he was safe. As he threw on a pair of shorts, he looked into the eyes of the fierce-warrior child in Sheldon's grasp. He looked like he wanted to rip his Uncle Jimmy's throat out, but he was in Sheldon's arms.

"Friends," muttered the young boy, "seize that one!"

Jim frowned, turning to face a crowd of ten young children staring him down intently.

"Oh," muttered Jim. He began to back away slowly, and at first he thought they wouldn't move. Then he backed into the eleventh one, and they charged.

Jim remembered tripping over Charlotte, and he didn't want to repeat his mistakes, but running from the children without stepping on them was probably one of the hardest tasks he had ever managed. When he emerged outside, he found his shorts looked more like short-shorts, and his shirt revealed his midriff. He was not, however, going to enter that place again, at least not for a little bit, so he trundled around the courtyard trying to figure out which cabin was the Artemis cabin. After asking around, he found it.

When he knocked on the door, he was surprised to find that a girl about his age had opened it. Alex had told Jim he had a sister, but his sister was supposedly older. This girl looked younger.

"Who're you?" she asked.

"I'm Jim," said Jim. "I'm a friend of Alex."

The girl smiled. "Ah. Right. Well, a friend of Alex is usually not someone I want to talk to. If you're anything like him-

"Wait!" said Jim. "You haven't even told me your name yet, or what you're doing here! You don't look like the daughter of Artemis."

"Hm," said Ophelia. "Maybe Alex finally got a semi-bright friend. Well, the name's Ophelia, and I am Alex's cousin. I hang out with him sometimes, because, though he can be obnoxious, at least he's not as bad as my brothers. I'm in the Athena cabin, over there."

"Oi, Ophelia, don't scare the newbie," said Alex. "Also, I can hear you."

"I know that," she said. "I don't really care."

"Sorry about my cousin, Jim," said Alex, pushing her to the side. She began to push back, and as the two of them struggled, Alex said, "she can be a bit of a pain sometimes."

"It's fine, really," laughed Jim. "She seems cool enough."

Ophelia smiled. "Well, how very kind of you. Looks like we know who won this."

"Oh, stop being competitive," said Alex. "And she calls me immature. Out! Go back with your smarty-pants counterparts."

"I will," said Ophelia. She walked backwards, holding up an L to her forehead. Alex groaned.

"So what's up?" he asked, sitting on the side of his bed.

"Well, the little ones chased me out of Hermes cabin," said Jim. "Almost killed me."

"Ah, so that's why you seem to have such a bad fashion sense," said Alex.

"Yeah," said Jim. "You… got any extra shirts?"

Alex tossed him one, along with a donut. "Eat. I'd guess Sheldon is busy controlling those little devils. You know, in this cabin, we call them 'the little devils'."

"You and who else?"

"Ah, just me," said Alex, kicking back. "It used to be me and my sister, though. Then she took off for the big leagues with my mother. Been hunting ever since."

"Does she ever come back?" asked Jim.

"Oh yeah," said Alex. "I mean, the official Hunters of Artemis changed their policy on virginity after my mother and father got together, but my sister still doesn't want to join them. She'd rather do something else. What, I don't know, but I'm cool with whatever she prefers. But, even so, she doesn't visit camp much. I meet her in Olympus."

"I see," said Jim. "So, second day in camp… what should I do?"

"Well," said Alex, pacing the room, "tonight is the campfire night, so you can do whatever you'd prefer, and then later meet everyone by the campfire. It's a ton of fun. Also… I don't know if this is the best idea, but… tomorrow we're having a capture the flag game. It's with weapons, but I'm sure the others might go easy on you…

"I'll try it out," said Jim.

Alex nodded. "It's a bit early, but for now we can just hang out in the mess hall and wait for lunch to role around. We've got a nice table to sit at."

Jim followed Alex out the door, and when they arrived at the mess hall, one other boy was sitting there, with jet-black hair.

"Jim," said Alex, "I want you to meet Dean, one of my best mates."

"It's nice to meet you," said Dean. "I'm 2nd gen Zeus and Hera."

"Whoa," said Jim. "How'd that work out?"

"Heh, awkwardly, I must admit," said Dean. "Basically my parents were both hated by their respective step-parent… but both Zeus and Hera love me, so I'm cool with it."

They watched as Sheldon staggered over. "One of the littl'uns bit my leg," he said. "I never knew toddler teeth could be that sharp."

Alex laughed. "Well, sit down and rest your leg. We're having a group bonding session."

As the campers began to fill the seats around the mess hall, the group trundled over to the serving area and began to grab food. Jim watched as, one by one, they offered portions of their meals to their parents or whomever at a pyre. Jim, not knowing who to give to, offered his portion to Kronos. He thought he heard a loud laugh emerge from the pyre, but when he looked around, no one seemed to notice.

When he sat down, the group seemed to have fully assembled. On the one side sat Sheldon, Alex, Ed, and Dean. On the other side, Marissa, Ophelia, and Charlotte sat, leaving a seat for Jim. He sat down next to Charlotte and watched in fascination as their rapport began. After a moment or so, he butted into the conversation.

"I know you've answered this before, Alex, but how does everyone here know each other again?" asked Jim.

"All of our parents fought together in the 2nd Titan War," explained Alex. "It was probably the most important war in the history of the world. They all developed a very deep bond following its events, and so we kind of grew up together. The most common bond would be the man depicted in gold-

"He who whisked Whiskers away," muttered Charlotte.

Alex looked embarrassed, but he continued, saying, "Perseus Jackson."

"You ever met him?" asked Jim.

"No," said Alex. "As I mentioned, he's still up in the palace with my aunt… and my cat by birth-right… ahem, the place is above Olympus, and it's guarded by Ethan Nakamura-

"Oh, thank the gods for him!" said Marissa. "I don't think Percy could've chosen a more stunning guard! His publications are the only releases from that palace, and thank Zeus, because if I didn't get my yearly Ethan calendar-

"Marissa, you're scaring him," said Alex. "Stop fangirling."

"Oh, please, like you've never done any fanboying," said Marissa. "Besides, you haven't let me talk about when I met him once! It was the greatest day of my young life."

"Anyways, Ethan is fairly attractive, I guess-

"You're jealous."

"Shut it! He's also one of the most powerful magicians ever born. He was a surprising choice, though, since he sided with Kronos in the 2nd Titan War, but Percy must've made the right choice. Ethan has never failed his duties. Not once."

"How'd Kronos ally with the Olympians, then?" asked Jim.

"Well, it's a bit of a complicated conflict," said Alex. "A more powerful god named Typhon was manipulating Kronos. After Aphrodite threatened to investigate Kronos after he had acted as Charlotte's mom's uncle, Kronos got angry. Typhon offered him an army, and boom! Kronos was now in charge of the enemy, not Typhon."

"But the gods couldn't have just forgiven him, especially after their last encounter wit him," said Jim.

"Right," said Alex. "The war is hardest to understand because it was a two-phase war. It consisted of the battle between the gods and Kronos, and then the battle between the gods, Percy, and Typhon. Kronos recognized Percy's ability and correctly identified him as the original generation god, and so he followed his ways after he couldn't convince Percy to help him. He had realized the errors of his ways. But after that, Percy attacked his previous allies and destroyed part of Olympus. Only after he defeated Typhon did the Olympians accept him and his colleagues into Olympus."

"So this Percy Jackson guy is the most influential Olympian?" asked Jim.

"Yes," said Alex. "However, he rarely intervenes in the Olympian Council anymore. He serves more as a defender of the constitution he made the gods sign than an actual decision maker."

"Yeah, Percy was pretty cool," said Ophelia, smiling slyly. "He's my brother in law, unlike Alex, who has him for an uncle."

"We get it, Ophelia," said Alex.

"Wait, wait, that makes me your aunt! Ha! Who's laughing now, nephew?"

Jim watched them argue for a minute until he decided they wouldn't shut up, and so he began talking with the others.

"I can't wait to roast marshmallows around the campfire!" said Marissa. "I've got a ton of great stories from my dad… some about Ethan, too! Dad was always very polite, unlike those other hormone-induced teens."

"Oh, yeah, he was," said Sheldon. "I can vouch for that. Met the guy a year ago."

"He was also a wicked player, too," said Marissa. "He seduced my mother when she was 21… and he was only 16!"

"Wow," said Jim. "That's… impressive… I guess."

"Well, looks like lunch is over," said Sheldon. "Jim, why don't you go train at swordplay a little? It could be very helpful for tomorrow, if you're going to play capture the flag. By the way, you'd be on Alex and my team. Catch us in a few hours at the campfire."

Jim nodded, headed for the sparring grounds.

Jim arrived just as the festivities were about to start. The fire was blazing powerfully in front of him, and he sat amongst his newfound friends and watched as they told their jokes and stories for a bit. Finally, Chiron trotted over and quieted the campers.

"As you all may or may not know," began Chiron, "Today is the Summer Solstice. On this day, 30 years ago, Perseus Jackson returned to Camp Half-Blood with Zeus' lightning bolt in hand and began his journey here. Today, we remember his courage and bravery, as well as his commitment to bettering the Olympian community and uniting our family. We remember his ideals and visions every day when we pass by his golden depiction, and when no one else can answer our prayers, he is there for us. So, I am pleased to announce a special campfire ceremony tonight as we remember his bravery and his accomplishments."

The camp roared, and simultaneously ripped open plastic bags full of marshmallows.

"HOLD ON!" shouted Chiron, and the campers dimmed to a murmur. "That's not all I have to say! Before you open up the marshmallows, and trust me I'll let you do that soon, I am pleased to introduce to you a new camper, brought by our own Alex Chase. This," he said, grabbing Jim by the shoulder, "is Jim!"

"Determined or undetermined?" asked Tristan Fletcher.

"As of now, Jim has remained undeter-

Chiron stood staring above Jim. Jim looked around, admittedly confused, unsure what to do. Finally, he looked above his head.

"Jim, it seems…" stumbled Chiron, "is a son of Poseidon."


End file.
